SCREENING APPARATUS WITH ADJUSTABLE HYDROFOIL PORTION

Abstract: Apparatus for screening a papermaking pulp or stock suspension through a stationary cylindrical screen (15) includes a rotating hydrofoil (35) which has a camber surface (56). The hydrofoil rotates with the camber surface in close proximity to the inside surface of the screen. A segment (70), defining a portion (56a) of the camber surface, of the hydrofoil is movable in a slot (60) so that the spacing between the camber surface and the screen is adjustable. The hydrofoil is fabricated from sheet metal and forms the spanwise slot, and the segment (70) is received within the slot and forms a continuation of the outer surface, and is retained by a fastener (80) which is accessible through a slot (82) formed in a surface (52) of the hydrofoil. In another aspect of the invention, the hydrofoil (35) has individual segments (70a, 70b) which may be positioned to define differing clearance spaces between the camber surface and the screen.

Description: SCREENING APPARATUS WITH ADJUSTABLE HYDROFOIL PORTION This invention relates to pulp screening apparatus, and more particularly to such apparatus including screens in which one or more rotating foils carried on arms, or other generally radial supports, move in relatively close proximity to a surface of the screen- Rotating foils, often referred to as hydrofoils, are commonly employed in combination with pulp screening apparatus and move in relative rotation, in close proximity to the inlet surface of a screen plate. Such hydrofoils produce strong positive and negative impulses to the screen plates, which impulses tend to increase the screening capacity while keeping the screen openings clear and free of plugging. Such screen plates are often configured in the form of a cylindrical screen, and the hydrofoil is positioned to run along a radial inside or a radial outside surface of the perforated screen. An example of such a cylindrical screen plate is shown in the U. S. patent of Chupka et al, 4,919,797 issued April 24, 1990. However, hydrofoils are also used with non-cylindrical screens, such as conical screens or radially flat screens. An example of the latter is shown in the ϋ. S. Patent No. 5,078,275 of Chupka et al. The hydrofoils themselves generally consist of a solid air-foil shaped body. When used with a cylindrical screen, the air foil body extends spanwise in a direction generally parallel to the axis of the cylinder. Often the hydrofoil body is formed with a lead angle or helical twist for the purpose of imparting some axial flow to the stock. Such a lead angle is also shown in U. S. Patent No. 4,919,797 (Chupka et al ) . While the hydrofoil in a pulp suspension (furnish) behaves differently than an airfoil or propeller section in air, it is convenient to use conventional air foil or propeller terminology in identifying like parts of hydrofoils. Thus, in a cylindrical screen embodiment, the radially outer curved surface which is positioned in closest proximity to the screen may be referred to as the camber surface. The opposite flat surface which faces the axis of rotation may be referred to as the face surface. For any particular cylinder screen, furnish and a mode of operation, there is usually an optimum spacing, angle of attached and speed of the hydrofoil camber surface with respect to the adjacent surface of the screen for maximum reduction. The minimum available spacing may be defined by the presence of turbulence inducing bars or wear bars on the screen surface or by the profile or shape of the screen openings. As the gap between the role and plate is increased production decreases. Production increases as the gap decreases, so adjustment is critical to peak performance. Spacing of the hydrofoils is also dictated by the screen roundness, or lack thereof. Out-of-round screens are common, particularly where the screen is fabricated from flat plate material which has been rolled into a cylinder shape and then welded. The actual running position of the foil must take into account any out-of-round characteristics of a particular cylinder, and it is not uncommon for 24-inch diameter cylinder to be out of round by as much as 0.090 inch. Another factor which can influence the optimum spacing of the camber surface to the adjacent screen surface resides in the characteristic of the furnish being screened. With certain pulps, the suspension can be dirty. If the hydrofoil is positioned too close to the screen, it can cause the screen to wear at an accelerated rate. Further, too close a spacing can impart unnecessary and undue impulse stresses into the screen, which pulses can contribute to premature fracture or failure of such screens. In cylindrical screening apparatus, adjustments of the radial positions of the hydrofoil has necessitated adjustment of the position of the support arms on the hub, and often has required removal of the screen cylinder from the screening apparatus in order to obtain access for the-purpose of making such an adjustment. Further, while many physical forms of hydrofoils have been suggested and tried, to the inventors' knowledge, such hydrofoils have not been formed bodies which have a separate section or element, movable with respect to the body, to vary the surface characteristics of the hydrofoil and/or to vary the gap or spacing at the throat between the hydrofoil and the screen surface. A primary object of the invention is to provide paper pulp screening apparatus and a hydrofoil member for such screening apparatus, in which at least a portion of the camber or curved surface is adjustable apart or separate from the hydrofoil body, to provide an effective adjustment of clearance between the camber surface and the surface of the screen. In the realization of the invention, the hydrofoil element is provided with a positionable or adjustable body portion or segment, which positionable segment forms a portion or continuation of the camber surface, and which portion is movable with respect to the remaining hydrofoil body. Such segment may be positionable by simple adjustment throughout a range of radial positions by which the actual spacing or clearance between the hydrofoil camber surface and the adjacent screen surface may be chosen and fixed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the adjustable portion of the hydrofoil is a bar-like segment or member which is received at least partially within a radially outwardly facing slot formed in the hydrofoil body. The segment member itself has a radially outer surface forming a general continuation of the camber surface, and the segment member is positionable and retained within the slot for the purpose of adjusting the extent of protrusion or elevation of its outer surface with respect to the hydrofoil body, for effectively adjusting and setting the clearance between the hydrofoil and the adjacent screen surface. The movable camber segment may be divided into individual sections or segments so that the clearance spacing may be varied in accordance with the axial length and position of the sections. In this manner, a portion of the hydrofoil may be configured to operate with a small clearance gap while a different portion of the hydrofoil may be adjusted to operate with a larger clearance gap. The adjustable segment portion of the hydrofoil provides the secondary benefit of being able to control the turbulence level aft or downstream of the adjustable segment, by varying the position of the segment within the principal body portion of the hydrofoil. In a further aspect of the invention, the hydrofoil itself is fabricated from sheet material, thereby resulting in a structure of high strength and relatively light weight. The invention may be described as screening apparatus for the screening of paperroaking stock in which such stock is sorted through a stationary screen, which may typically be a cylindrical screen, and in which a hydrofoil has an outer curved surface and is mounted for movement with the curved surface adjacent to the screen, characterized by a discrete part of the hydrofoil forming a continuation or a portion of the curved camber surface of the hydrofoil, in which the portion is rnovably mounted on the hydrofoil and is supported thereon by means which permits the portion to be positioned in a predetermined or adjusted position so that the effective spacing between the hydrofoil and the adjacent surface of the screen may be adjusted or controlled. In a further aspect of the invention, the hydrofoil is provided with chordwise extending individual segments or parts which may be positioned or adjustable independently of each other so that a wider clearance space may be ".selected at annular surface portions of the screen which are not slotted, as compared to other annular portions which are slotted for the purpose of reducing the pressure effect of the hydrofoil in the non- slotted annular portions, and also reducing the power requirement of the screening apparatus. Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, illustrating pressure screening apparatus of the general kind in which an embodiment of this invention is applied; Fig. 2 is a sectional view through a fabricated hydrofoil in accordance with this invention; Fig. 3 is a perspective exploded view, partially broken away, of the hydrofoil of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 diagrammatically illustrates a hydrofoil employing a pair of movable segments to vary the spacing at spanwise positions. The invention is illustrated in combination with cylindrical screening apparatus of the general kind shown in the co-owned Seifert U. S. Patent No. 4,105,543. While the invention is shown as applied to screening apparatus which employs a cylindrical screen, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention may be applied to screening apparatus with radial flat screen plates and generally radial foil-shaped arms as shown, for example, in the co-owned patent of Chupka et al, U. S. Patent No. 5,078,275 of January 7, 1992. Also, while the hydrofoils are shown as rotating adjacent an inwardly curved surface, it is also within the scope of the invention to apply this concept to apparatus in which a hydrofoil rotates about an outer surface of a cylindrical screen, as shown for example in U. S. Patent No. 3,759,392. As shown in Fig. 1, the screening apparatus includes a main housing 10 on a base 11. In the upper end of the housing there is an inlet chamber 12 having a tangential inlet port 13 into which the stock suspension to be screened is applied under pressure, and circulated in a clockwise direction as viewed from above. A cylindrical screen 15 divides the interior of the housing below the chamber 12 into a central supply chamber 16 and an accepts chamber 17 having an outlet port 18. The screen 15 is provided with multiple generally vertically oriented individual slots 40 separated by annular non- slotted land areas 42. The bottom wall 20 of the supply chamber 16 includes a trough 21 leading to a discharge port 22. A control valve assembly 23 can be preset to provide a desired continual bleed of reject-rich stock. Heavier particles which settle into the trough 21 may drop therefrom into a trash collection box 24 through manually controlled valve 25. A hub or rotor 30 is supported on a vertical drive shaft hub 31 in the center of the supply chamber 16, and is driven by suitable gearing or belt from a motor 33, also mounted on the base 11. A plurality of individual vanes or hydrofoils 35 are mounted on radial arms 36 and extend vertically generally the full length of the inside screening surface of the cylindrical screen 15. The hydrofoils 35 may be helically curved, or arranged so that the upper end of each vane is leading or spaced forwardly of the lower end in the direction of rotation of the rotor, shown as being clockwise as viewed from the top. While the diagram of Fig. 1 shows the rotor as including only two of the hydrofoils 35, it is preferable to provide four such hydrofoils mounted on the arms 36. Threaded fasteners 37 attach the inner ends of arms 36 to the rotor 30 and may be adjusted to provide an approximate radial position of the hydrofoil 35 with respect to the inside surface of the screening member. As the hub 30 is rotated, the arms 36 carry the hydrofoils 35 in close proximity to the adjacent curved inside surface of the screen 15. The principles of the invention and a preferred embodiment of a sheet metal hydrofoil are illustrated in Figs. 2 an 3. Fig. 2 illustrates a sectional view through the improved hydrofoil 35 and a fragment of the adjacent screen 15 which is somewhat diagrammatically illustrated. The improved preferred hydrofoil 35 is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as being fabricated from sheet metal, and it is understood that the hydrofoil 35 is suitably mounted at the radial ends of the support rods 36 for rotation in adjacent relation to the interior surface 50 of the cylindrical screen 15. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the improved hydrofoil 35 is formed with a curved or a flat face 52, which also forms the mounting surface for the rods or arms 36. The face 52 extends between a hydrofoil leading edge or nose 54, at its forward end, and a tail end or trailing edge 55 at its opposite end. The hydrofoil is formed with a camber surface illustrated generally at 56 positioned adjacent the inside surface 50 of the screen 15 to define a throat or venturi passage 58 between" the hydrofoil and the screen inside surface. The camber surface 56 is interrupted by a diagonally inwardly extending slot 60. The slot 60 is defined by opposed chordwise spaced wall surfaces 62 and 63 and an inner terminating or bottom slot wall 65. The slot 60 opens into the camber surface 56, and receives an adjustable or movable fabricated segment 70 therein. The segment 70 forms means in the hydrofoil member which 5 defines a discrete part thereof and is movable in the slot 60 with respect to the remainder of the hydrofoil, and further has a surface 56a which defines a portion of the curved camber surface 56. The segment 70 is received within the slot 60 1.0 to form a relatively close fit between the walls 62 and 63. As shown, the segment 70 may also be formed of sheet metal, or may be configured in the form of a tubular-like extrusion or maybe formed of a solid material including plastics. 15 The segment surface 56a which forms a general continuation of the camber surface 56, also forms or defines the throat passage 58, previously mentioned. By suitably adjusting the position of the foil segment 70 within the slot 60 of the foil 35, the venturi shape of 20 the throat passage 58 may be changed or adjusted, and the effective relative position of the foil 35 and the suction created by the foil may be controlled with respect to the inside surface 50 of the screen 15. Means for adjusting the relative position of 25 the segment 70 within the slot 60 includes a series of threaded screw fasteners 80 which are accessible through recess or access openings 82 formed in the hydrofoil face 52, as shown in Fig. 3. The fastener 80 extends through a clearance 30 slot 84 in the wall 63 and is threaded into a cylindrical collar or nut 86 received within the interior of the segment 70. Tightening of the fastener 80 causes the fastener head to bear down against a washer 88 on the inside surface of the wall 63, effectively clamping the 35 segment in a predetermined adjusted position within the slot 60. The adjusted position may be determined by visual observation of the hydrofoil when the top plate 90 is removed. It will be understood that the open spaces in the hydrofoil, as shown in the sectional view of Fig. 2, will be closed at the remote ends thereof by a suitable closure cap, in order to prevent accumulation of stock material in the interior. Further, while the preferred hydrofoil is shown as being fabricated from sheet metal material, it will be understood that other lightweight materials or composites may be used, within the scope of this invention. In the operation of the invention, the relative position of the part or segment 70 may be adjusted by removing the cover or plate 90 to the chamber 12 and reaching into the interior while viewing the relative position of the segment in relation to the screen surface 50. The rotor 30 may be moved by hand to verify proper and sufficient clearance through 360* for each of the hydrofoils. The adjustable segments may be clamped in position by inserting a screw driver or other suitable driving tool through the access slot 82 in the face surface. As previously noted, the adjustable part 70 may be formed as a series of individual, longitudinally extending as segments 70a and 70b, diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 4. The individual segments 70a, 70b are individually adjustable to provide for variations in the dimensions of the passage 58 along particular portions of the hydrofoil . Such variations in the passage 58 may be of particular advantage in decreasing the impulse effect by increasing the clearance at the circumferential non-perforated land areas 42 of the adjacent screen 15. This arrangement has the advantageous effect of reducing the power required to operate the screening apparatus and, at the same time, reducing the stresses applied to the cylindrical screen 15. What is claimed is:

Claims: 1. Screening apparatus for the treating of papermaking stock in which the stock is sorted through a stationary screen, in which a hydrofoil is formed with an outer curved surface positioned in proximity to the screen and in which the hydrofoil is mounted for rotational movement adjacent to the screen surface, characterized by a discrete part of said hydrofoil forming a portion of said curved surface, said -part being movably mounted on said hydrofoil, said hydrofoil having means supporting said discrete part in a predetermined adjusted position with respect to said screen surface. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 further characterized by the fact that said screen is cylindrical in shape and said portion of said curved surface forming a radially outer surface of said hydrofoil. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 in which said means on the hydrofoil supporting said discrete part is characterized by screws engaging said part, which screws are accessible from a radially inner position on said hydrofoil . 4. The apparatus according to claim 2 in which said hydrofoil extends spanwise in a direction generally parallel to the axis of said cylindrical screen and said discrete part extends at least along a portion of the spanwise extent of said hydrofoil. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4 in which said discrete part is formed in at least two spanwise segments in which said segments are retained by said positioning means on said hydrofoil independently of each other so that each said spanwise segment may be independently positioned of any other spanwise segment. 6. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said cylindrical screen is formed with a series of slots extending in circular patterns circumferentially of said screen separated from non-slotted land areas therebetween in which said discrete part is further characterized by a segment in which said curved surface thereof forms a relatively small clearance space at said pattern of slots and which forms a relatively larger clearance space at said land areas.

Inventors: EGAN JOHN JOSEPH III, JAMIESON JAMES ROBERT, SUICA DAVID E, WILLIAMSON GARY S, EGAN, JOHN, JOSEPH, III, JAMIESON, JAMES, ROBERT, SUICA, DAVID, E., WILLIAMSON, GARY, S.
Applicants: BLACK CLAWSON CO, THE BLACK CLAWSON COMPANY
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B07B1
IPC codes: B01D29, B07B1, D21D5